Green plums cannot become lovers.

He didn't ask her why she was there.

I didn't ask them what they were arguing about.

He simply handed her a pack of tissues and said, "Wipe yourself off."

"...Don't you want to ask anything?" she couldn't help but ask.

An and Asuka thought for a moment.

"Do you want to say something?"

Eriri was stunned.

"If you want to talk, I'll listen. If you don't want to talk, then you don't have to."

His tone was casual, and he didn't seem to intend to delve into the matter further.

This guy

Why is it always like this?

She's always so gentle, so considerate, so...it makes you want to get closer.

She lowered her head and wiped the water stains on her shoulder with a tissue.

But as she was wiping, her hand gradually stopped.

The fast food restaurant was quiet, with only the soft patter of rain outside the window. Occasionally, a staff member would pass by, their footsteps so light they were almost inaudible. The boy across from me didn't speak; he just sat there quietly, as if waiting for something.

Eriri stared at the tissue in her hand, watching it slowly get soaked by the water stains on her shoulder.

After a moment of silence, she spoke.

“Aki Tomoya just invited me to join his club.”

"I see." An and Asuka nodded, their tone calm.

Eriri looked up at him.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

There was a hint of grievance in her voice that she herself didn't even realize.

Actually, when she first saw An and Feibiao at the door, she panicked. She was afraid he would misunderstand, afraid he would think she had some ulterior motive for running out on the weekend to meet other boys.

So she wanted to explain and clarify things.

But after she said it, she hoped he would have some kind of reaction.

Whether you're angry, jealous, or even just frown and ask, "So what do you think?", that's fine too.

He simply said, "I see."

So indifferent?

An and Asuka looked at her, a faint smile in their deep brown eyes.

What kind of reaction do you want from me?

Eriri opened her mouth.

"Angry? Furious? Begging you not to leave?" An and Asuka's tone was very light, as if they were talking about something very ordinary. "Or do you want me to rush out and beat that guy up?"

"...I didn't say those things."

“I won’t have those reactions,” An and Asuka said softly, “because I believe Eriri won’t leave me.”

Eriri was stunned.

Believe

Will not leave

Her previously dejected mood was suddenly lifted up by something after hearing those words.

My eyes are a little sore.

This guy

Why is it always like this?

She usually seems indifferent to everything and is equally gentle to everyone, but at times like this, she says something that makes her heart race.

She lowered her head, trying hard to suppress the bitterness in her eyes.

“Actually…” her voice was a little muffled, “we’ve known each other since we were little.”

"Huh?" An and Asuka were a little surprised. "Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

"You don't want to hear it?!"

"No." An and Asuka quickly shook their heads, a smile playing on their lips. "I'm just a little jealous. After all, she's childhood friends with Eriri, she's such a lucky guy."

Eriri paused for a moment.

Then, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. &球异尔意衫龄拔侕悦/怡

"Humph~"

She tried to look less happy, but she couldn't suppress the curve of her face.

This guy is quite the smooth talker.

"But we actually parted ways a long time ago."

"why?"

Eriri paused for a moment.

"Because of some things."

"what's up?"

“I can’t explain it either.” She shook her head. “It’s a story about someone else.”

An and Asuka didn't press for details, but simply waited quietly for her to continue.

Eriri looked out the window at the rain that was still falling, her gaze becoming somewhat distant.

"That happened when I was very young," she said, her voice tinged with a distant memory.

“I met a boy, and we didn’t spend much time together, in fact, very little. But he was a very important person to me.”

She paused.

"even......"

"even?"

Eriri glanced at him, then looked away.

"No, it's nothing."

What she didn't say was—if that boy hadn't left later, she might have fallen for that boy before she fell for the boy in front of her.

That was a long, long time ago.

So long ago, my memory has become somewhat hazy.

But she still remembers that warmth.

An and Asuka didn't speak, they just watched her quietly.

The sound of rain outside the window gradually subsided.

Eriri took a deep breath, suppressing her melancholy.

“Anyway,” she said casually, “Aki Tomoya and I have nothing to do with each other anymore. He does his game, and I live my life. I came to see him today simply because he kept pestering me, and I wanted to make things clear.”

She looked at An and the flying birds.

So, you don't need to worry.

An and Asuka looked at her.

Her slightly flushed face was reflected in those deep brown eyes.

“I’m not worried,” he said.

"Then why did you just say you were jealous!"

"Jealousy and worry are two different things."

Eriri paused for a moment, then turned her face away.

"...smooth-talking."

An and Asuka smiled and did not refute.

Volume 1: Chapter 226 Three's Company

The rain outside has lessened a bit, but it's still falling and doesn't look like it'll stop anytime soon.

An and Feiniao looked out the window at the gray sky, where raindrops slanted against the glass, forming tiny streams of water. This kind of weather reminded him of some past events.

The first time his relationship with Eriri progressed was also on a rainy day like this.

That's when he learned the girl's secret: this seemingly arrogant rich girl was actually a homebody obsessed with anime and manga, and had drawn a lot of fan art.

He still remembers how panicked she looked back then.

An and Asuka snapped out of their thoughts and looked at the girl opposite them.

"We go home."

"Huh? Now?" Eriri paused, then turned to look out the window. The rain was still falling, though not as heavily as before, but it was clearly not the weather to go outside.

An and Asuka's gaze fell on her shoulder.

She got soaked by the rain while they were arguing in front of the fast food restaurant. Summer clothes aren't very thick to begin with, and now the fabric was slightly see-through, clinging to her skin.

"Let's go back and change our clothes as soon as possible."

Eriri followed his gaze and looked down, and then—

"satyr!"

Her face flushed instantly, and she quickly covered her shoulder.

An and Asuka raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

“I didn’t want to watch it originally,” he said slowly, “but since you’ve said so, I’m going to watch it closely.”

"Don't look!"

Eriri covered herself even tighter, leaned back slightly, and stared wide-eyed with a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

An and Asuka couldn't help but laugh when they saw her like that.

"Okay, I'm not teasing you anymore."

He pulled something out of his pocket—a neatly folded, pure white handkerchief—and then pulled two safety pins out of another pocket.

Eriri stared in disbelief at what he was holding.

What are you doing?

"Come a little closer."

An and Asuka walked to her side and bent down slightly.

Eriri's body froze instantly. She could smell the faint scent of soap on him and feel the warmth of his presence. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out of her throat.

What does he want to do?

An and Asuka ignored her stiffness, focusing instead on unfolding the handkerchief and gently placing it over the rain-soaked fabric on her shoulder. They then carefully secured it with pins, one near the neckline and the other on the outside of her shoulder.

His movements were very gentle, as if he were afraid of hurting her.

Eriri stood there stiffly, motionless.

She looked at the boy in front of her.

His profile was serious, his head slightly lowered, his eyelashes casting a small shadow on his eyelids. He held a safety pin in his fingers, carefully threading it through her handkerchief and clothes, as if afraid of pricking her.

That serious look reminded her of something in a daze.

My memories suddenly went back to many years ago.